Harry Potter and The Crestfallen Star
by pyro-maniac88
Summary: When the wizarding world is in shambles and Lord Voldemort is at large, Harry finds something that is as mysterious as it is beautiful. Can he use it to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all?
1. An Explanation of Sorts

An Explanation of Sorts….  
The day of Harry's 18th birthday, he'd been congratulated by the Dursleys with time. Yes, time. They took their oh, so ungracious time and used it to pack his bags. He found them lying on the front porch. Harry had expected this so he'd already arranged for himself to move into his own secret house, one big enough to assist members of The Order when they needed a place to hideout or assemble. On the 7th of June, Harry received a letter telling him that his uncle Vernon had died due to choking on a ham bone. He, of course, did not go to the funeral because he'd, naturally, be blamed for his uncle's untimely death.

With the addition of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Neville, many other Hogwarts alumni (mostly people from the D.A.), and estranged house elves, The Order has grown to twice its size before Voldemort's official comeback. The Order has placed its headquarters at Harry's place because Grimmauld Place was to dangerous a house to stay, considering Kreachers suspicious behaviour such as disappearing for large chunks of time and refusing to leave, even after Sirius' death. 

Harry has gone into hiding because higher members of The Order feel it is not wise for Harry to battle or encounter Lord Voldemort just yet. After Hogwarts, Malfoy, Goyle, & Crabbe went missing, their whereabouts unknown, but everyone has a pretty good idea who they're with. Fudge, like other Ministry workers, was sought out and brutally killed by a band of Death Eaters; Percy was destined for the same fate but ultimately just tortured into madness, very much like the Longbottoms. While the wizarding world is falling into darkness, Hogwarts remains one of the only safe places left, mainly because Dumbledore and the Order heavily protect it.

The Order has largely grown but Voldemort and his Death Eaters have continued to thrive as well. Many wizards and witches in very high places have come out of hiding and now openly express their support for Voldemort. Azkaban prisoners, the dementors, and many evil creatures have undoubtedly chosen a side. As the battle for the Wizarding & Muggle world rages on, many lives, both good and evil, have been lost for their cause. With more and more danger approaching each day, Harry must find a way to end this war once and for all. 


	2. Inside the Angry Dragon

Inside The Angry Dragon

Harry awoke to a very consistent buzzing. Buzzzzz! Buzzzzz! "I'm coming! I'm coming!" he yelled, still in somewhat of a dream state. Apparently the person ringing the doorbell didn't know this because the buzzing continued. Harry, now forced to get out of bed, put on his glasses, stood up, and looked in the mirror. A tall, skinny, eighteen year old with emerald eyes stared back at him. With his wand intact and the clothes he wore earlier on, the only thing that looked like he had just gotten out of bed was his untidy hair. He ruffled it a little more and chuckled, he really could pass as his father's twin. The buzzing at the door still hadn't stopped so Harry quickly ran downstairs and opened the front door. There on his front porch stood his long time best friend, Ron Weasley. Ron was tall and lanky with flaming red hair, not a thing had really changed over the years about his appearance except that he looked like he'd endured a few sleepless nights. "Hey, Harry, how you doing"  
"Fine, Ron. You"  
"About as great as you can be while…well you know. Anyways, it's your turn to go, Hermione's waiting outside"  
Harry yawned and said all right as he started walking out the door.  
"Er, Harry"  
"Huh"  
"Could I sleep here tonight? I don't really wanna wake up my parents and all"  
"Sure." Ron walked into the house and Harry was about to walk out when he said, "Oh, and next time you could just apparate in instead of using the doorbell"  
"I know. It's just, I didn't want to apparate in incase you had, umm- well, company over." His cheeks turned as red as his hair. Harry, acting as if he'd not heard the comment, just replied, "See you, Ron"  
"Bye"  
He heard the door shut behind him before he started pondering what Ron said. Why in the world would he think that? It had, in fact, been little over a year now since he last dated. His thoughts were interrupted by his other friend, Hermione Granger. About a foot shorter than him with brown bushy hair and as much brains to match, she took one look at him and asked, "Harry, you haven't been sleeping again have you"  
He yawned while saying, "Sleeping's not forbidden you know"  
She gave him one of her apprehensive looks.  
"Sleeping before Confuddeling can be dangerous." "Danger or no danger, one more day without sleep and I'd be mad"  
Hermione shot Harry one of those I-seriously-doubt-that looks then continued, "At least we only have this job for two weeks; poor Moody volunteered himself for a whole month!" Harry thought about how horrible that must be when she announced, "We really should be going now"  
Still yawning, Harry nodded and they both apparated. The feeling was the same for three years now. The tingling sensation that spread throughout your body ended as soon as it started, and they were there. Hermione, checking her watch, told him that they'd only be staying there for two hours this time, pulled her hood over her head and walked inside. Harry looked up at the squeaking sign with a Horntail on it and the words THE ANGRY DRAGON scribbled across it. He sighed, then pulled the dark hood over his head and walked inside. The Angry Dragon was one of the most barbaric pubs Harry had ever seen. Drunken wizards and witches lie on the tables and the floor. Some were in very heavy conversation, others singing songs of nonsense. The place smelled like cabbage and was so smoke filled that Harry had to squint to keep his eyes from watering. He found Hermione sitting at a table in the darkest corner.  
"Look's like one of the worst lots we've ever been around." Lowering her voice, she added, "I doubt the Death Eaters would hang out in toy stores." He agreed then figured it'd be best if they got this over with. Scooting their drinks aside, he put his elbows on the table, closed his eyes, and relaxed. Hermione waited a second then pulled out her wand and said, "Deafinous Magnifo"  
Instantly, every single word in The Angry Dragon became ten times louder. It was as if they were all shouting across a quidditch field. He heard Hermione do this to herself and was relieved when some of the voices faded into the background. For two long hours, Harry and Hermione sat there, listening to songs, conversations, footfalls, and pulses until Hermione pulled out her wand and said, "Deafinous Reducte!" Harry waited a minute, just to be sure, then indeed performed the counter-curse on himself. Seconds later, they both got up and, much to their satisfaction, left. Only after getting clear away from The Angry Dragon did they stop and take off their hoods. "Anything?" asked Hermione. "Just stuff you wouldn't hear in casual conversation." "Well, I suppose we'll have to try there one more time." She sounded as unenthusiastic as ever. Not really wanting to leave on a bad note, Harry added, "Well at least no one noticed us." Just then a voice rang out. "Harry? Harry Potter! Is that you?" 


	3. Unexpected Circumstances

The voice that rang out caught Harry completely off-guard. He turned around, not knowing what to expect. Hermione had already spun around, holding her wand out, ready to attack. The voice called out again and this time it sounded extremely familiar. They both stood there, wands ready, until the figure stepped into the glow of the streetlamp. It was Oliver Wood.

"Harry! Hermione? I thought that looked like you two," he looked at their wands, "What are you doing?"

Utterly bewildered, they swiftly lowered their wands, "Oliver! Hey, IWe were just-"

"Ah, don't worry about it. You can never be too careful nowadays, especially with You-Know-Who on the loose. So how are you doing?"

Harry looked up at his quidditch mentor. Oliver was still tall and lanky, but the appearance of several cuts and bruises were new. "Fine. You?"

"Good. Just got back from a late quidditch practice."

They proceeded to catch up on what's happened in each other's lives since the World Cup.

"So, now that you're finished playing at Hogwarts, are you thinking about joining a professional league? I heard the Wimbourne Wasps are looking for a seeker."

Harry didn't know how to respond, playing professional quidditch would draw too much attention to himself, and the Order. He staggered for a bit, trying to come up with something, when Hermione quickly jumped in.

"Harry, we really ought to be going, we promised to help Mrs. Weasley degnome tomorrow."

Seizing this excuse, he completely ignored Oliver's question and acted as if he were reluctant to go. Wood, however, seemed dejected.

"Oh, alright. You two come and support Puddlemere sometime, I reckon we have a damn good chance of going national." Oliver said as he walked back into the dark.

Harry and Hermione waited until Wood was out of eyesight before apparating again, putting them in front of the Winston Bay. It was dubbed Big John by teenage muggles, because to them it looked like a giant sewage puddle, but Winston Bay didn't appear to Harry as anything but home.

The two stared at the water for a minute before jumping in. The sensation was almost as majestic as riding a broomstick for the first time, and it lasted quite a while before they both emerged, completely dry, on the front porch.

Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door, _"Barricadalous!"_ The door unlocked, allowing it to creak open. They stepped inside and the door closed behind them, blocking out all light. Not wanting to wake Ron, Hermione crept silently through the hallway, illuminating each lamp as Harry followed closely behind her. Finally reaching the dining room, Harry stepped forward, smashing his foot against a chair.

"Ouch! Hermione, how is it you know my house better than I do?"

She shrugged, "Well, I did help find it," while lighting the last candle, making the whole house visible. They sat down at the table as Harry summoned two cups of tea. The two talked for a while about the night's events before a loud thud startled them.

Wands reflexively ready, they ran upstairs and threw the guest room door open. Lying on the floor sleeping was Ron. Still alarmed, they checked around, only to have their suspicions confirmed, Ron had only rolled out of his bed. Hermione couldn't suppress her laughter and had to go out into the hall while Harry _wingardium leviosa'd_ the peacefully sleeping Ron back into his bed.

Walking down the stairs, he saw Hermione put on her cloak and step outside.

"I should go home and get some sleep before the trip tomorrow. Bye, Harry."

He said goodbye and shut the door as she disappeared from the porch.

Feeling very restless, he sat down at the kitchen table looking through pictures of his family. Harry couldn't help but smile when he came across a picture of his parents smiling and waving while hiking a trail. Turning the page, he came face to face with Sirius; looking the happiest Harry had ever seen him. Feeling his stomach turn over, Harry grabbed the back cover to slam it shut when Sirius's radiant expression quickly deteriorated and he began to point to the left. Harry sat, frozen to his seat, and turned toward the direction that Sirius was pointing.

An eerie, bright light was projecting from the study in long, steady pulses. After rubbing his eyes and doing a double take, Harry looked back down at the album but his godfather had returned to his normal jovial self. The glowing remained though, and he walked towards it, curious to find out what it was. The pulsing moved faster and faster as he got closer. Harry finally reached the doorway and, without hesitation, advanced into the blinding light.

He stepped into a room no longer full of books and desks, but people and the smell of alcohol. Harry looked around completely perplexed; he was back inside of the Angry Dragon. The first thing he thought to do was find the time. Hanging on a wall, very battered and dusty, was a clock that read 12:13.

"But that means..." Harry turned around, and sure enough he and Hermione sat in a badly lit corner, casting the spell on each other. He walked right past wizards that were singing and passing out on tables, obviously not noticing his presence. This feeling was all too familiar to Harry, he'd been invisible once before, some six years ago while walking through Riddle's memory. He sat down next to himself, watching the pair of them sitting in concentration.

The crowd became rowdier and after a few minutes of waiting, he began to wonder, why was he here, and what was that bright light. As fate would have it, a very young wizard walked into the pub and headed straight for one of the private rooms behind the bar. Suddenly suspicious, Harry followed past the drunks and tiptoed into the room as someone cast the spell, _"Espynerous!"_

The young wizard was now sitting across from two ancient looking men, who were staring at him with great dislike. One spoke with a harsh, raspy voice.

"What is it this time, Hastling?

Harry was strongly reminded of Quirrel as Hastling began to stammer and twiddle his thumbs nervously.

"II-I, well, I have re-reason to b-believe that some ministry workers kn-know too much."

It was the other wizard's turn to speak, "Tell us something we don't know."

"I-I can name names."

This seemed to spark their interest a little, Hastling noticed and started to name off people.

"K-Kramer, Stepp, S-S-Shacklebolt, and Ng-nguyen."

"Shacklebolt and Nguyen, eh? Always knew too much for their own good."

Hastling shook his head, but continued to look down at his feet.

Still not convinced, the other wizard added, "So what do you suppose _we_ do about these four?"

He seemed prepared for this question, "We-Well, Eugene Rehynols was planning on hosting a company p-p-party to celebrate the new minister, I believe, and I-I just thought that w-we could dispose of them there.

The three stood there silent for a moment before the raspy voiced wizard said, "Yes, Yes. That'll work. Well, done Jason. If this works then you will be heavily rewarded, but if you're lying, the Dark Lord will know and he does not give second chances."

Jason began to shake slightly and headed out the door, brushing right past Harry. Harry didn't seem to notice; he was too deep in thought. If what they said was true, then Kingsley and the other aurors were in grave danger.


	4. The Only Solution

Harry didn't get to hear the other men's conversation because someone began to call out his name. "Harry! Harry!" He searched for the source of the sound and found that the strange glow was back. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he stepped forward into the pale radiance.  
Darkness.  
Someone began to shake him and he heard in the distance, "Harry! Harry! Come On! Get Up!" Harry felt one final tug before snapping his eyes open. He stretched and adjusted his glasses so that the giant, fuzzy figure became Ron.  
"Harry, I didn't mean to wake you, but I was won" He stopped mid-sentence when Harry ran to the study.  
"Did you see it Ron? Just now. In there. We need to get help now! Kingsley might be in trouble!" Ron merely and stared at him.  
"I couldn't sleep, so I started looking through some pictures, and Sirius started pointing, and there was this light-" "Harry. What are you talking about? It was probably just a bad dream-." "It wasn't a dream! I'm trying to tell you I just saw something that proves that Kingsley is in danger! We need to act NOW!" Ron turned sickly green, "I'm going to signal everyone." He quickly left the room, leaving Harry to dwell on the night's events. Sitting back at the table, he realized just how dizzy and light-headed he felt. A knock was heard at the door not more than ten seconds later. He recognized Mrs. Weasley's voice immediately. "Ron! We got your message! What's wrong?" He heard a muffled struggle.  
"Er! Mum! Get off! It's not me! It's- (he began to whisper) it's Harry." "What! What's wrong? Is it his scar?" Her concerns were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. At once, Harry could hear a commotion start in his living room. The conversation died down as soon as they started when Arthur Weasley remarked, "I think it's time we made our way toward the kitchen so we can ask Harry what's wrong." After several quick whispers, they all piled into the room. Harry looked up; appearing before was: Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad Eye Moody, Neville Longbottom, Fred, A very-much-pregnant Angelina, George, Bill, and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Nymphodora Tonks, Gabriel Mercöut, Dean Thomas, Doris Thatcher, Lavender Brown, Severus Snape, and Albus Dumbeldore. Snape's piercing voice filled the room as they took their seats around the table.  
"Can someone please explain to me why we are here? Something inevitably having to do with Mr. Potter here," He glared at Harry, "Have a bad dream I suppose?" Harry gave Snape a look that would've made Sirius proud, "As a matter of fact I did. Only it wasn't a dream." He then proceeded to tell them about the three strangers and their discussion, all while they sat listening closely. When he finished, Harry felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders, only to burden all the rest. In the silence that followed, Lupin was the first to speak.  
"Harry, are you absolutely sure this is what you've seen?" "Yes." "Harry dear?" It was Mrs. Weasley, "What do you suppose this all means? I'm sure seeing" She was interrupted by Snape.  
"Do not waste your time. Indeed Mr. Potter here has a certain knack for imagining things that put him and others into dangerous situations. I daresay we have all seen the result of one of his little rescues." Harry was furious. "I'M NOT IMAGINING ANYTHING! I'M TRYING TO GET OTHERS OUT OF A DANGEROUS SITUATION! He continued to yell while Ron repeatedly vied for his attention.  
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" "Harry?" "NOT THINK FOR ONE S-" "Harry?" "DO YOU THINK THAT I'M TR-" "Harry!" "WHAT! RON! WHAT?" "I think you have post." Harry turned toward the window and found that more than a dozen owls waited patiently outside. He opened the window and as if they could sense the tension, the flock flew inside, discarded their letters, and quickly left. Embarrassed of his temper loss, Harry shut the window and quickly sat down while the others began to rummage through the messages. He briefly made out words written in Hagrid's sluggish handwriting before Dumbeldore stood.  
"Perhaps, Severus, Harry here did in fact see what he says. If so, then there is a lot more at work here than Voldemort." It was Moody's turn to comment.  
"Hastlings you say? Hmm, interesting…" "How so?" "That sounds like old Goddard's boy. I'm not sure if you'd remember him or not, but I believe he was on the jury at your trial a few years back. He helped put away a lot of dark wizards. Good man, Goddard." "Yeah, well his son is a git," said Fred.  
"That's what troubles me." Mr. Weasley finally decided to ask what everyone else was wondering, "What do you suggest we do about this?" There was a brief silence and Harry managed to glance at Dumbeldore, who was twiddling his thumbs while staring thoughtfully out the window. Lavender sighed and nervously commented, "Well, Kingsley could just not go." "No," added Kingsley, "it'll look too suspicious if I don't show up. I've already told Eugene that I'd be there." "He's right." "I suppose we should alert the others," said Lupin Dumbeldore began to speak in his usual serene tone.  
"Alert alone will not prepare them against Voldemort's followers. They have way of achieving their ends when it seems quite impossible." "Well then what do you suggest we do?" asked Angelina.  
Harry was very surprised to hear himself say, "I'll go." Immediately everyone sat up, disbelief and concern showing in their faces. "Come again?" "I said I'd go to the party." Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have it.  
"Nonsense Harry! Complete nonsense! To think we'd put you in such a situation! Absolutely ridiculous." Lupin sighed, "Harry, she's right. What you're suggesting is suicide." Without skipping a beat, George said, "Suicide? Not very convenient for us, but I'd suggest swallowing pixie droppings." "Slow, but sure," added Fred.  
Mrs. Weasley was fuming, "Don't encourage him!" A wave of relief went through Harry when he noticed that Dumbeldore was smiling.  
"Yes, I said I'd go. I'm the only one who knows what these men look like." Ron looked unusually pale. "But what if Vo-Vol- he is there? I mean, he would know it was you regardless of disguise." "Yes Ron, he would know," said Dumbeldore, "but Voldemort would not chance appearing where so many Ministry workers reside." Mrs. Weasley was still muttering her opinion under her breath when Dean brought up the Polyjuice option.  
"Harry would have to wear a disguise right? So why doesn't he just use Polyjuice Potion?" Remembering years ago, Harry quickly squashed the idea.  
"Polyjuice Potion would take too long to make, plus it would only last an hour." Dumbeldore agreed with Harry, "There are other ways of concealing your identity, the problem is who is available and willing to go under Voldemort's surveillance." Gabriel Mercöut did not hesitate, despite his broken English, "He can use my-my face. I am afraid that I am not very vell know here." "Well that's settled," said Bill who was getting up out of his chair.  
"Not so fast," added Tonks, who'd stopped feeling Angelina's belly, "I believe this little shindig is invite only." Bill wasn't finished. "Tonks, do you have a companion for this party?" "As a matter of fact I don't." "Well, that settles it. Harry will go with you." "Oh. Okay," she shrugged.  
"Kingsley, you will go as promised, just like the others," said Dumbeldore, "Harry you will go, as Gabriel, with Tonks, and various others will be there to keep watch." "Well, now that that's established, I think it's time we left," said Fred.  
"After all, time is galleons," said George. On that note, Fred, George, and Angelina left. Almost simultaneously, everyone else began to stand and leave. Dumbeldore and Snape travelled back to Hogwarts while Lupin and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stayed around to make sure Harry was okay. After much reassurance, they left, leaving Harry and Ron by themselves.  
"Good luck with that bunch, mate. Mum and Dad took me to one of the Christmas party's once, and I ended up seriously considering jinxing myself sick." "Thanks for the advice, Ron." "Hey, do you reckon your dream had something to do with V-Vol- him?" "No," said Harry, while staring down at the closed photo album, "but whatever Sirius was pointing to, I'm gonna find it." 


	5. Masks and Jewels

The next few weeks passed swiftly by, causing much discomfort to Harry and The Order. Before long, the day of the party arrived and Ron was, unsuccessfully, trying to help.  
"You know, Harry, it's not too late to back out now. I mean, Dumbledore probably wouldn't mind, and if he does, just fake sick; Fred and George probably have something they could-"

"No thanks."

"Well you could-"

"I'm going, Ron," he said, as he pulled on his dress robe.  
Harry glanced in the mirror before someone knocked on the door, prompting the boys to run down the stairs and answer it. Tonks and Gabriel stood there, she in her maroon dress robe, and Gabriel in his normal black cloak.

"Hello, Harry!" said Tonks, stepping inside. Gabriel quietly followed. Harry nodded in response, "Tonks. Gabriel." They made their way toward the kitchen and, spotting a plate of biscuits on the counter, Tonks asked, "May I?" "Have one," waved Harry.  
She sat down and began to eat, conversing in between bites. "I didn't realize how hungry I was! Between getting things together at the Ministry and preparing for the party, I haven't been able to get a nibble in all day." Eventually, Ron got caught up in the chat and began to snack as well. Before long, they all sat around, talking, and forgetting their troubles.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, Ron?"

"Shouldn't you be getting to the party?"

At that moment, Harry felt a huge weight drop in the pit of his stomach.

"I suppose we should," said Tonks, getting up and straightening out her robe.  
Harry scooted to the edge of his seat as Gabriel pulled out his wand in order to perform the incantation. "Dumbledore said it vould be best if you stood." Upon standing, Harry felt the cool tip of Gabriel's wand gently tap his forehead. Instantly, his body began to transform. He could feel his legs shortening, his face reshaping itself, and slowly his vision began to fade into a blur. Ron sat, wide-eyed with astonishment, as Harry removed the now-useless glasses and looked at his reflection.

"It is like looking in a mirror, no?" said Gabriel.  
Harry had to admit, he was completely taken aback by his new appearance. Every last detail of Gabriel was brilliantly duplicated. Tonks was impressed, "That's almost better than any Metamorphmagus can do."

"How long will the spell last?" asked Harry.  
"Apparently it does not stop until I perform zee counter-curse."

Just then, Hedwig flew into the conference, discarding a letter and landing faithfully on Harry's shoulder.

"How is it that Hedwig recognizes you?" inquired Ron.

"I don't know," shrugged Harry, "maybe the spell doesn't affect animals."

Tonks wasn't listening, seeing as she was more concerned with the letter they'd just received. "It's from Moody. We should go." Harry petted Hedwig appreciatively and made toward the living room. "See you later. And try not to be seen tonight Gabriel." He knew this wouldn't be much of a problem upon seeing Ron pull out his chess set.

Strolling into the living room, he watched as Tonks disappeared into the fireplace. Following, he stepped up to the flames, threw in the Floo powder, and stated, "21 Luvar Square, Remington Ave." When he emerged on the other side, Harry couldn't help gazing with wonder at the Rehynold's residence. The brilliantly lit room was covered in decorations, and the ceiling was magically elongated so that it seemed to go on forever.  
"Éclair, Harry?" asked Tonks as a floating food tray glided past.  
He'd only managed to shake his head when she grabbed his arm and began pulling him through the sea of people. Wizards and witches of all nationalities and social rank passed by, while Tonks continued to shoo them to their destination. Suddenly a man's voice called out and they wheeled around, so fast that Harry had to grab a hold of Tonks arm in order to keep balance.

"Nymphadora, what a pleasant surprise," said a small, heavily bearded wizard, "I didn't know you were coming."

"Hello, Jasper," said Tonks, shaking his hand; Harry noted the slight irritation in her voice, most likely because of the use of her first name.

"And who may I ask are you, sir?" asked Jasper, suspiciously eyeing Harry.  
"What? Oh, yes, I'm Ha-Gabriel Mercöut," said Harry.  
"Yes, well, nice to meet you," remarked Jasper, shaking his hand, and then turning back to Tonks.  
"So have you heard of the Wizengamot's problem wi-" Harry took this opportunity to mentally slip away from the conversation and look around. Some people stood around chatting, while others danced away to the sound of the jazz band. He watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley whizzed past; finally knowing where Fred and George had inherited their dancing abilities. He watched, amused for a while, before a familiar, pale, pointed face caught his attention. Draco Malfoy and his companion had just arrived at the party. He knew this was only going to make the evening worse, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next. The woman standing alongside Draco was none other than Cho Chang. At once, old feelings of loathe and jealously hit him and, just as he began to move, Jasper's voice cut right into his thoughts.

"Oh dear, Tonks, I'm terribly sorry! I'm afraid that I'm ruining your evening with all this ministry talk. Your poor date looks like he's about ready to jink himself sick!"

"Jasper, it's inevitable at these gatherings! Plus, Gabriel's not my date, he's just a friend visiting from France."

"France! How wonderful! Me and my family went on a holiday there and we loved it! Say, Gabriel, De quelle partie de France vous sont-ils? Strasbourg? Nantes? Paris?"

Harry felt his cheeks start to heat up, the only French words he knew were Bonjour, aimer, and l'ananas, two of which he didn't even know what they meant. "Er- l'ana-"

"Hello Jasper, Tonks, Gabriel," interrupted Kingsley, who had just walked over.  
Harry looked up at Kingsley with the deepest gratitude, causing Tonks to snort with laughter.  
"Kingsley, it's been ages since I've seen you," started Jasper.

Collecting herself, Tonks rolled her eyes at Jasper when someone yelled out, "The Minister is here!" Almost simultaneously, the band ceased to play and a thousand whispers broke out among the crowd, as someone hastily shoved their way through the crowd. Finally reaching the stage, Eugene Rehynols, a tiny, squirrelly man, jumped onto it and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Well, hello everyone! I'm delighted to see you all here. Now, with all the drinks and the music, I'm hoping we haven't forgotten whom this party is for. After everything many of us, as long time ministry workers, have been through, it'll be a breath of fresh air to welcome a new leader. So it is my pleasure to introduce you to your new minister, _Adrius Hadley_! The room fell silent as a tall man with glasses and greying hair took centre stage. He stood for a moment, staring at them all, before beginning his speech.

"Breath of fresh air, I like that. Thank you Eugene."

Harry saw Eugene smile, and listening to this man speak somehow made him feel eleven years old again, sitting at Hogwarts for the first time….  
"Oh really! That's not what I've heard," whispered Jasper, snapping him out of his memory. Annoyed, Harry could no longer stand this party, "I've got to get out of here," he thought.  
Glancing at Kingsley, he said, "I'm going to the toilet," fully intending to go anywhere but there. Passing the ice sculptures and revolving champagne pyramid, Harry searched around for the Weasleys, but instead came face to face with Draco and Cho. Harry didn't like how Draco turned and looked about, as if sensing him, so he quickly crept behind the stairwell, only to stumble into a hidden room. Picking himself up and straightening his robe, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. A desk, cluttered with books and papers, stood in the middle of the room, and hanging on the walls were vintage portraits of muggle musicians. The room, Harry decided, was definitely Rehynol's office, though he questioned the portraits. With a growing curiosity, he began to look at the various scribbled notes and scattered candy wrappers, when he felt the spine-tingling sense of being watched.

"It's time to get back to the party," thought Harry, while pulling out his wand, when a strange glow caught his eye. Turning, he saw nothing but a giant portrait of Queen. "I definitely need to get more sleep," he laughed. Suddenly the portrait beamed again and this time he was convinced it was real. Pointing his wand right at the band, he began to utter all the spells he knew; finally, upon saying "Alohomora", a change happened. The portrait began to move outward, so much that Harry had to take a few steps back in order to avoid being hit, then the portrait dissolved, revealing the entrance to another room.

Harry stepped forward into the dark hole and lit his wand. The cold room looked just like Rehynol's office, except it was covered in cobwebs, making it appear as if it hadn't been used in ages. Shivering, he turned and noticed a shelf full of books and broken shards of glass. Closer examination revealed that these shards of glass were actually smashed prophecies. Again, Harry felt the unnerving sensation that someone was spying on him. He searched around for the watchful eyes, but his attention was suddenly diverted to a small, brown box sitting amongst the shattered prophecies.

He set his wand down, completely drawn to this little box, completely engulfed in the thought of what it contains. Slowly, he picked up the box and wiped the dust off. He was surprised by the weigt of the box, it was no bigger then fhis palm, but the box must've weighed at least ive pounds. Opening it, Harry saw that inside was a small, glass star, inscriptions covering every edge, and in the middle, between the five symmetrical points, lay a tiny, black ball.

"Really just a woman's jewel…." thought Harry, yet he knew it was much more then that.

He stared down at it as is started to glow. The glow, grew bigger and bigger, until it seemed to fill the whole room. He stood, mesmerized, when a scream brought him back to his senses. Harry pocketed the box and dashed out of the office.

The ballroom was now complete chaos. Left and Right, wizards ran about, apparating, running to their carriages, whatever they could to get away. A spell narrowly missed Harry's head as he frantically searched for Kingsley and Tonks. He noticed a body lying facedown on the floor and ran over to see whom it was when a tall blond ran by. Trailing him, Lupin spotted Harry on the ground and asked, "Which way did he go?"

"That way!" said Harry, pointing right.  
Lupin took off after the boy and yelled, "Harry, don't worry about him! Go find the others."

Taking Lupin's advice, Harry got up searched about unsuccessfully when a thud upstairs was heard. Sprinting up the stairs, he ran into a bedroom at the end of the hall. Kingsley, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood, wands out, around another immobile body lying on the floor. His intrusion caused Mrs. Weasley to breakdown into sobs.

"Oh, Harry! We didn't know where you were! Something, anything! Could've ha-"

At that moment, Lupin burst into the room, empty-handed. "He got away! He can't be far, though."

"It's all right, Remus," said Kingsley, "We caught this one." He rolled the man over with his foot and Harry saw that it was one of the men at the pub during his dream.  
"Yeah, that's him."

Kingsley and Lupin carried the unconscious man down the stairs while the others followed closely behind. Harry observed that the man he'd tried to help was sitting on the stage, talking with the minister. He followed Kingsley back into the living room.

"Harry, you should get back home. We'll stay here and continue to keep watch."

He almost volunteered to stay and help out but Mrs. Weasley had already given him a hug, settling the matter. He made it back to his house in a matter of seconds. Ron and Gabriel were still playing chess. Harry could tell Ron was in deep concentration because he didn't look up from the board as he said, "Hey Harry."

Gabriel, however, was up in flash. "Vhut happened? Zid everything go okay?"

Not really in the mood to talk, Harry lied, "Everything went fine. I'll tell you guys what happened tomorrow. Gabriel, could we reverse the spell now? I think I'll go ahead and head upstairs to bed." Gabriel agreed, but looked disappointed. The spell reversed as quickly as it had worked and, bidding his mates goodnight, Harry made his way toward his bedroom, the tiny, brown box still secure in his pocket.


	6. Dreams, Treats, and Quarrels

The smoke filled room was dark and smelled of decay. Harry stood in the shadows, looking at his surroundings; when a familiar voice caught his attention. Standing in the centre of the room was Voldemort and Harry, himself, in the middle of an intense duel while James and Lily, crowned and dressed in luxurious gold robes, stood and watched closely. Harry gazed at himself battling Voldemort and taking no notice of his parent's presence. "_Why aren't they helping?"_ he wondered. Suddenly, a roaring scream was heard, drowning the room in a brilliant light, and the dream was no more. Harry awoke to find that he was still lying in his bed. Ears ringing, he grabbed his glasses and sat up to see Ron standing in the doorway, mouth full of food.

"Ey, Harry. Just thought 'oo wanted to know that Mum dropped thefe muppins off earliah."

"Thanks, Ron. I'll be downstairs in a minute."

He sat and waited for the sound of Ron eating to cease before thinking of the dream. _Why weren't my parents helping me? Was I winning the battle? What was all that suppose to mean anyway?  
_ Ron was helping himself to another mouthful when Harry walked into the kitchen. "Where's Gabriel?" asked Harry as he sat down and grabbed a muffin.

"He left after you went to bed. Some kind of incident with goblins."

Harry knew what was inevitably coming. "So what happened yesterday?" He finished eating and opened his mouth to speak when a small brown owl fluttered past, discarding a letter straight into Ron's mug.

"Ruddy owl!" he complained as he wiped the orange juice off of his shirt. Harry recognized the owl as one Hogwarts', so he quickly snatched the parcel out of the juice. "Won't do you any good," exclaimed Ron, "the things ruined anyway. Look at it, it's soaked!" Despite Ron's comments, Harry unwound the wet parchment and found that only some of the ink had smeared.  
"It's from Ginny." He quickly scanned the letter and began to read aloud.

_"Dear Harry, and Ron since he's probably there,_ -("Hey!")  
_Things at Hogwarts are great. Dumbledore still won't tell me much about The Order and Snape is his usual "smashing" self. Quidditch practice is going well. Our first match is next week against Slytherin. At the rate the team is going, we should win, but we still haven't found a good seeker. I'd play seeker myself, but there aren't any decent chasers either. Dumbledore's just finished teaching the D.A. the shield charm, Protego, while in the meantime, I have to try and finish an essay for History of Magic. You wouldn't happen to know what year the giants were officially declared extinct do you? Happy Halloween.  
_ _Ginny_

_P.S. Luna gives her regards to "Ronald" and advises you, Harry, to stay away from airborne pumpkin-mites tonight._

Ron had finished his breakfast. "I think Ginny's hanging around with Luna too much. Anyone who uses Snape and the word smashing in the same sentence must be nuts." Harry clearly wasn't listening; Ginny's letter had made him remember his matches at Hogwarts. Even though playing professional Quidditch had never lost its appeal, Harry always thought, " Being an auror won't be so bad."

"You never told me," Ron interrupted, "what happened at the party last night. Did you catch that Hastling guy?"

Harry sighed and began to describe last night's events; deliberately leaving out anything having to do with the star. He immediately felt guilty for not telling Ron but another half of him was telling Harry that he should keep this to himself for now.

"Harry? Harry, are you listening?"

"Huh?"

"I gotta go meet Dean and Neville at The Three Broomsticks, do you wanna go?"

"No, I've gonna stay here for a bit."

Harry waited until Ron had left before running upstairs to get the star. The tiny brown box was still hidden behind his bottom drawer. He grabbed it, went downstairs and out the front door. Upon apparating, Harry saw that Diagon Alley continued to thrive as much as it had seven years ago. Wizards and witches of all kinds went about, while children ran around to various shops, pressing their noses against the windows in order to get a glimpse of the newest item. Harry walked past the many street peddlers and Gringotts bank to find a small, slightly off-balanced shop, the front of it reading Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

The inside was everything Harry imagined it to be. Complete chaos as children ran about using their newly bought merchandise on each other while parents chased them. He narrowly escaped an intense game of hide and seek when he found George crouched next a boy no older than six years old. The boy stood crying as his skin continued to flash every colour of the rainbow. His mother looked absolutely terrified. George, however, seemed completely calm and collected.

"Hello Harry. I haven't ever seen you in here before. How do you like it?"

"It's genius, but I'm actually not here to shop. See, I need to talk to you in private."

"Okay, but let me finish with him." George pulled out his wand and said, "Trician Ceaserio!" Instantly the boys' skin returned to normal. He looked at the back of his hands and stopped sobbing. "How's that feel?" asked George.  
The little boy opened his mouth to speak but all that escaped was a loud bark. He stood for a moment in a complete shock before breaking into sobs again. His mother began to shriek, causing George to wince. "Maybe you should go upstairs to talk to Fred. I have a feeling that this is going to take a while." Harry simply nodded and didn't hesitate to get away from the woman's shrieking.

He opened a door in the back of the shop that led to a flight of stairs. The stairs led to another hallway and several doors. For a minute, he just stood there wondering which door to choose when Angelina strolled out of one of the rooms.

"Hey, Harry. I take it you're looking for the twins, right?"

"Hi, Angelina. I just talked to George and he told me that I could find Fred up here."

"Well, Fred's usually in the lab nowadays. Something about a levitating potion. The labs in the second door on the left."

"Thanks, I'll see you later."

Harry didn't bother to knock as he opened the door and stepped inside. Fred sat behind a desk cluttered with blueprints and cauldrons full of bubbling contents. The door creaked shut, causing Fred to look up and spill a potion he was pouring into a bottle.

"Sorry about that," said Harry.

"Oh, don't worry about it," exclaimed Fred as he simply cleaned up the mess with his wand. "So, what brings you here? Trouble? Love potion pops? _Jinxing Treats_?"

"No," laughed Harry, "I needed to ask you a favour."

"Sorry, no discounts on Time-warp tarts," joked Fred.

"No," said Harry, while pulling out the small box, "I was wondering if you two wouldn't mind checking this out for me." He discarded the lid and held the box out for Fred to see. He looked down at it then back up at Harry.

"This looks like some piece of jewellery."

"I know, but I know that there's more to this then it seems."

"Alright. I'll talk to George and we'll see what we can do."

Harry headed back downstairs and discovered that the little boy George was trying to help was now on all fours coughing feathers while his mother was being held up and fanned by two other men. He quickly made his way out of the store and back into Diagon Alley. Harry apparated back to his front porch and walked in. The house was supposed to be dark in his absence but he caught a faint glare emitting off of his glasses. He silently shut the front door then quickly pulled out his wand as he crept toward the light. A sudden crash startled him, but not as much as a voice he overheard.

"Crookshanks! No!"

"What the-" he thought. "Hermione?" He stepped into the study and found Hermione sitting at the table, holding Crookshanks.

"Oh, hey Harry. I didn't hear you come in. I'm sorry if I startled you but I needed to borrow Hedwig."

Harry lowered his wand and sat down. "Hey, Hermione. When'd you get back?"

"Just a little while ago. So can I please use Hedwig to deliver a letter?"

"Sure."

Hermione handed Crookshanks to him and called Hedwig over to her when the door opened.

"Harry! Are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm in the study!"

Ron walked into the room and looked surprised at the sight of Hermione."What're you doing here?"

"Sending a letter to Dumbledore," she replied as she opened the window and released Hedwig.

"So what have you two been up to," asked Hermione.

Harry proceeded to tell Hermione about last night with Ron throwing in parts that he'd forgotten.

"Oh, that sounds horrible!" she remarked.

"Yeah, even worse is the Malfoy bit," said Ron. "Unfortunately, I ran into that ignorant tool today at Hogsmeade."

"What'd he do?" asked Harry as he continued to pet Crookshanks.

"His usual dirty looks and loud insults. I wish the prat would do something so I could. I'd like nothing better than to send a good curse his way."

"Oh, because that'll really help our cause," scorned Hermione as she rolled her eyes.  
Ron was obviously agitated. "Hermione, you've been back what? A couple of hours now? And you're already-"

"Maybe," she interrupted, "I wouldn't have to if you would just think before-"

Harry couldn't help but smile as his two best friends began to bicker again, because he'd only just realized how much he'd actually missed it.


	7. A quest for Answers, Giants, and Silverw...

As Ron and Hermione continued to bicker, Harry did what he'd learned do well as a student, he'd tuned them out. Instead, the mysterious dream from the night before plagued his thoughts until a knock at the door startled him. His two best friends stopped arguing and watched as he got up and checked who was on his porch. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley stood there, shivering and soaked from head to toe.

"Oh, good heavens!" scoffed Mrs. Weasley, stepping inside and shutting the door, "And I thought the weather was going to be nice for a change!"

"Mum? Dad? What are you doing here?" asked Ron as he entered the living room, Hermione following.

"Well hello to you too!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley. Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley stopped wringing out her coat and looked curiously at Ron. "Why, for the meeting of course!"

"What meeting?" asked Harry. He glanced at Hermione and Ron, and they both shrugged.

"The meeting to discuss the-" A loud crash and an "Ouch!" from above interrupted. Before long, Neville, red faced and rubbing his elbow, came walking down the stairs. "Hi, everybody. Harry," his face was, at this point, completely crimson, "I'm really sorry about that lamp. I didn't see the table, -I just got my licence."

Halfway through his apology, the doorbell rang and Lupin, Hagrid, and a man Harry had never seen before came walking in. Greetings followed, and soon everyone began to shift into the living room to sit down. Anxious, Harry took a seat next to Hagrid, hoping to ask for some kind of explanation.

"Hagrid, what's going on?" he looked around the table, "I mean, why are we meeting?"

Hagrid seemed to consider this, "Yeh know, I don' really know," he assured, "but I suppose Dumbledore'll tell us in the meantime."

As if the very thought of Dumbledore summoned him, he appeared with a loud pop at the foot of the stairs, causing every head to turn at once. Harry noticed that, at first, his old headmaster looked the same as his last day at Hogwarts, but upon closer examination, he saw that age was definitely taking a toll on this man. Numerous crinkles sat on top of his snow-white brow, giving him an archaic and sullen look, however, the same aura of energy and radiance remained.  
In true fashion, Dumbledore popped what looked suspiciously like an Everlasting Gobstopper into his mouth and sat down.

"What's going on? Why's everyone here?" Harry questioned. He glanced intently at Dumbledore but it was Lupin that spoke first.  
"Harry, you're going to have to appear in court again."

Instantly he felt as if a lead weight had dropped into the pit of his stomach. "What did I do?" he wondered, very much aware of Ron and Hermione's questioning stares.

"For what? I haven't done anything!" Harry stated.  
He looked over at Dumbledore and observed that he had a big grin on his face and his eyes were now lively and animated, almost as if he were amused by the situation.

"Harry," sighed Lupin, "You're not being put on trial. Instead you're going to have to testify as a witness."

A loud pop! spared Harry from an awfully embarrassing moment. He looked up, shamed-faced, at a middle-aged man wearing purple and green robes, a man that looked oddly familiar. He squinted a bit and suddenly knew: It was Adrius Hadley. This revelation startled him and Harry found himself thinking, "_Why is the Minister of Magic standing in my living room?"_ The others seemed to be wondering the same since they all stared at the head of the wizarding community.

"Ah, Adrius!" Dumbledore said, breaking the silence and standing to offer his seat to the Minister. Adrius sat and Dumbledore looked around at their obvious expressions of suspicion. "Yes, we've never had The Ministry's support before so it's natural for some of you to be a bit _leery_ right now." Mrs. Weasley snorted. "However, with Voldemort's followers growing daily we can only hope to have The Ministry on our side, and I assure you Mr. Hadley has his reasons for joining us."

"Thank you Albus. But I don't need any kind of special treatment here. I know that we all just want to-"

"Want to what?" snapped Mrs. Weasley, "Does the rest of ministry know that you're here?"

Adrius steadily turned to reply. "Actually-"

"It's about time The Ministry came around to their senses and started acknowledging what right under their fat noses! I suppose I'll have to lose one more son in order to-"

"Molly!" yelled Lupin, "It is not the Ministry's nor Adrius' fault that Percy chose to ignore our warnings, and whether you like it or not, this is not the time or the place to argue." Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to speak but Hermione jumped in the conversation, stopping the argument.  
"Why does Harry have to appear in court?"

"Because he's the only one that can identify Hastling," said Kingsley.

"Wait," said Ron, "Harry told me that you guys only caught that old bloke."

Dumbledore replied, "Harry was there for the capture of Milner, but he'd already left before Hastling was stopped by Mr. Longbottom here." Neville once again turned beat red but none-the-less swelled with pride.

"So, when's the trial?" asked Harry.

"I'm not suppose to say, but-" A loud shriek disrupted the conversation and Harry looked over to see Hermione staring in terror at Hagrid's hand.

"Hagrid! What happened?"

"Oh, it's nuthin'. Jus' a scratch." He quickly snatched his hand away from the wooden table and turned back toward Dumbledore. However, Hermione'd already reached out and yanked his hand back toward her, examining it.

"Hagrid, this isn't a scratch! It looks like it's infected."

He laughed nervously; by now, Adrius had finished talking and everyone was looking at them. Harry finally caught a glimpse of Hagrid's hand and flinched. A long, extensive tear ran from his wrist to the bottom of his middle finger, or rather what was left of it. Two thirds of the finger was now missing, leaving a blood-clotted nub in its place. The blue and violet coloured puncture on the top of his hand had swollen profusely while clumsily placed stitches ran up and down it.

"Hermione's right, Hagrid, what happened while you were in Austria?" The meeting came to a standstill as everyone inched forward to see his wound. Trapped, Hagrid sighed and began to tell about his journey.

"Alrigh'. Alrigh', as yeh all know, Dumbledore sent me on this mission sort of thin' to Austria. There's word tha' a giant revolt took place up'n the Alps. Anyway, I made it to the spot an' it was the stranges' thin', nothin' was there. No sign o' giants anywhere, so I started headin' back."

"Did you find out where they went?" asked an uneasy Hermione.

"I'm gettin' there!" he assured, "On the way back I stopped at this pub, yeh know, to send a letter to Dumbledore." Ron caught Harry's eyes and laughed to himself. "An this feller started telling' me how one day the giants jus' up an lef'. Like tha'," he snapped his fingers, "I asked him where an' he said somewhere in Romania."

"How did this man know so much about giants? I thought most wizards didn't associate themselves with giants." asked Harry.

"I asked him the same thin' an' he tol' me that he'd heard it from other travellers. Well, at firs' I waddin't goin' ter go, bu' then I remembered tha' me mum once lived there, so I figured it was worth a shot."

"Did you find more relatives?" asked Hermione, Harry noticing her look of desolation.

"No, no I didn't," said Hagrid, ignoring Hermione's relief sigh, "Tha's the problem."

Ron interrupted, "So you still didn't find anything?"

Hagrid's eyes suddenly grew larger, "Oh, I found somethin'! A lit'le Tiegwrit is defina'ly somethin'!"

"A Tiegwrit? I thought those were extinct." Harry didn't have the slightest clue what they were talking about.

"So did I, but oh, yeh shoulda seen 'em. He was beau'ful. 'Course I had ter give I 'em a little room, wouldn' wanna get on his bad side."

"Did you actually get to touch it?"

Hagrid's face contorted and he began to tap his unscathed fingers nervously. "Well, no. I don't quite remember anythin' after tha' actually. Alls I know is that I would'na been here today if it weren' fer this fella right here." Harry turned toward the man Hagrid gestured toward and was completely amazed by the fact that he'd not taken notice of this man before. His face, slightly obscured by his shoulder length black hair, was pale and gaunt looking, his pupils so dark that they looked almost black, and his clothes looked severely out dated.

"Apparen'ly it was a more'n jus' one, there was a whole pack of 'em! Lucky Dimitri was there."

"But if you couldn't fight off the Tiegwrits how is that Dimitri could?"Asked Hermione.

Hagrid glanced at Dimitri for a second before answering, "Tiegwrit's are strong. Mind yeh, but they're no match for a _vampire_."

At once, a cynical atmosphere seemed to engulf the whole room. Everyone sat perfectly still trying to figure out if they'd heard Hagrid correctly. Harry glanced at Dimitri, then Neville who was sitting right next to him. His entire face was drained of all colour and he gripped the table so tight that Harry thought he'd leave marks. Meanwhile, Hagrid was starting to panic.

"Not all of 'em are bad! After all, 'e save me life! Plus, he wants ter help! I tol' him all abou' the Order and the work we do, and he wanted to help! Alls he needs is a place ter stay!"

"Hagrid! Hagrid!" said Dumbledore, "None of us are questing your friends' motives! And," he turned toward Dimitri, "Your willigness is much appreciated. I see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to join." Neville loudly sucked in air.  
"As for housing, I'm sure many of us would love to have you," Mrs. Weasley crossed her arms defiantly. "But it seems only fitting to have you stay here at our headquarters. Harry?"

"Hmm, what?" he was distracted from the conversation by watching the changing shades of Neville's face. "Oh, yeah. It's okay. I don't mind." Hermione kicked his shin under the table. "Ow!" No one heard his pain though because, at the same time, a shrill chiming sound began to escape from inside Neville's robes. He reached in and grabbed a tiny silver instrument.

"That's my gran. She worries. I have to go. Bye everyone!" He wasted no time in apparating.

After this, The Order all began to leave, Mrs. Weasley continuing to give Minister Hadley scornful looks up until Mr. Weasley managed to drag her out the door. Dumbledore and Lupin stayed the latest, gladly welcoming Dimitri into the Order. Soon Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dimitri were left to themselves. The trio walked into the kitchen to talk.

Ron was frantic. "Harry, you prat, what were you thinking!"

"What?"

"You can't let him stay here! He'll kill you!"

"I hate to say it Harry, but Ron's right."

Ron agreed, "Yeah! See-wait a minute. Hey!"

"Vampires are very smart and very dangerous. Besides, Dimitri has powers that wizards can't block with a wand; between you and him, Harry, there'd be no contest. "

"Yeah, but Hagrid trusts him, and-Ron, what are you doing?"

Ron was grabbing several pots and pans and scattering them all over the room. "I'll have you know that my mum told me all about vampires and their freaky loathing of metal things."

Hermione sighed. "They hate things that shine, Ron."

"Regardless, I'm staying here tonight because I'm not going to let some bloodsucker kill you in the middle of the night."

"Uh, thanks." said Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry, just promise me that you'll be cautious tonight, okay?"

"We'll be fine." "Well, I guess I'll be off then." she said reluctantly, then apparated. Harry left the room as Ron began his quest for steel silverware and found the living room empty. He searched but Dimitri was nowhere to be found.


End file.
